was created when physicists at the Australian National University in bombarded a carbon target with a laser. As the carbon reached temperatures of around 10000 ºC, it formed an intersecting web of carbon tubes called a 'nanofoam'. This is said to be a fifth form of carbon known after graphite, diamond, buckminsterfullerenes (buckyballs), and nanotubes. The foam is attracted to magnets. This may lead to new uses.
The Science Blog
reports here that researchers at Penn State in the USA are developing self-cleaning titania nanotube
hydrogen sensors. The hydrogen sensors are titania nanotubes coated with a discontinuous layer of
palladium.
"The photocatalytic properties of titania nanotubes are so large - a factor of 100 times greater than any other form of titania - that sensor contaminants are efficiently removed with exposure to ultraviolet light, so that the sensors effectively recover or retain their original hydrogen sensitivity in real world application"
"The photocatalytic properties of titania nanotubes are so large - a factor of 100 times greater than any other form of titania - that sensor contaminants are efficiently removed with exposure to ultraviolet light, so that the sensors effectively recover or retain their original hydrogen sensitivity in real world application"
"By doping the titania nanotubes with trace amounts of different metals such as
tin,
gold,
silver,
copper,
niobium and others, a wide variety of chemical sensors can be made. This doping does not alter the photocatalytic properties of the titania nanotubes" says Dr. Craig A. Grimes, associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
